Towards human-robot collaboration in meat processing: Challenges and possibilities

Prevalence, types and outcome of injuries among abattoir workers in Ghana

BACKGROUND

In many places in the world, workers in the meat processing industry report high incidence of injuries. Details of such injuries are not well known for Ghana or much of Africa.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey involving 300 workers from three major meat processing facilities in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana was carried out using a structured questionnaire from April to June 2023. The prevalence, types and outcome of injuries among workers were assessed. Test of association was established by Chi square analysis.

RESULTS

Over the prior 6 months, the prevalence of injury was 83.0%. Among the various injury types, lacerations had the highest prevalence (46.0%) followed by musculoskeletal pain (16.7%) bone fractures (14.0%), swelling (13.0%), burns and scalds (7.3%), and dislocations/sprains/strains (6.7%). More than half (58.9%) of injuries sustained were moderately severe (2-7 days of lost work) and nearly half (42.0%) required immediate medical attention. Gender, employment status, wages, availability and use of safety equipment were significantly associated with injuries among abattoir workers.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of injuries among abattoir workers in Kumasi, Ghana demonstrates a large public health burden requiring attention and improved enforcement through occupational safety interventions.

A Comprehensive Review of Cured Meat Products in the Irish Market: Opportunities for Reformulation and Processing

Cured meat products constitute one of the meat categories commonly consumed in Ireland and has been part of the Irish cuisine and diet for many years. Ham, gammon, and bacon are some of the products that involve curing as part of the traditional processing methods. Common among these products are high levels of salt and the addition of nitrites. These products undergo processing treatments to create variety, preserve shelf-life, and develop their unique quality and safety characteristics. However, consumers are becoming more conscious of the level of processing involved in these products, and the effects of some components and ingredients might be perceived as unhealthy. Meat product developers have been exploring ways to reduce the amount of ingredients such as salt, saturated fat, and chemical preservatives (e.g., nitrites), which are linked to health concerns. This is a challenging task as these ingredients play an important techno-functional role in the products' quality, safety, and identity. While innovative processing techniques are being introduced and progress has been made in reformulation and packaging technologies, much is still unknown, especially regarding the applicability of many of the proposed interventions to a wide range of meat products and their sustainability at the industrial scale.

Safely and autonomously cutting meat with a collaborative robot arm

Labor shortages in the United States are impacting a number of industries including the meat processing sector. Collaborative technologies that work alongside humans while increasing production abilities may support the industry by enhancing automation and improving job quality. However, existing automation technologies used in the meat industry have limited collaboration potential, low flexibility, and high cost. The objective of this work was to explore the use of a robot arm to collaboratively work alongside a human and complete tasks performed in a meat processing facility. Toward this objective, we demonstrated proof-of-concept approaches to ensure human safety while exploring the capacity of the robot arm to perform example meat processing tasks. In support of human safety, we developed a knife instrumentation system to detect when the cutting implement comes into contact with meat within the collaborative space. To demonstrate the capability of the system to flexibly conduct a variety of basic meat processing tasks, we developed vision and control protocols to execute slicing, trimming, and cubing of pork loins. We also collected a subjective evaluation of the actions from experts within the U.S. meat processing industry. On average the experts rated the robot's performance as adequate. Moreover, the experts generally preferred the cuts performed in collaboration with a human worker to cuts completed autonomously, highlighting the benefits of robotic technologies that assist human workers rather than replace them. Video demonstrations of our proposed framework can be found here: https://youtu.be/56mdHjjYMVc .

Avenues for non-conventional robotics technology applications in the food industry

Robots in manufacturing alleviate hazardous environmental conditions, reduce the physical/mental stress of the workers, maintain high precision for repetitive movements, reduce errors, speed up production, and minimize production costs. Although robots have pervaded many industrial sectors and domestic environments, the experiments in the food sectors are limited to pick-and-place operations and meat processing while we are assisting new attention in gastronomy. Given the great performances of the robots, there would be many other intriguing applications to explore which could usher the transition to precision food manufacturing. This review wants open thoughts and opinions on the use of robots in different food operations. First, we reviewed the recent advances in common applications - e.g. novel sensors, end-effectors, and robotic cutting. Then, we analyzed the use of robots in other operations such as cleaning, mixing/kneading, dough manipulation, precision dosing/cooking, and additive manufacturing. Finally, the most recent improvements of robotics in gastronomy with their use in restaurants/bars and domestic environments, are examined. The comprehensive analyses and the critical discussion highlighted the needs of further scientific understanding and exploitation activities aimed to fill the gap between the laboratory-scale results and the validation in the relevant environment.

Meat 4.0: Principles and Applications of Industry 4.0 Technologies in the Meat Industry

Meat 4.0 refers to the application the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) technologies in the meat sector. Industry 4.0 components, such as robotics, Internet of Things, Big Data, augmented reality, cybersecurity, and blockchain, have recently transformed many industrial and manufacturing sectors, including agri-food sectors, such as the meat industry. The need for digitalised and automated solutions throughout the whole food supply chain has increased remarkably during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review will introduce the concept of Meat 4.0, highlight its main enablers, and provide an updated overview of recent developments and applications of Industry 4.0 innovations and advanced techniques in digital transformation and process automation of the meat industry. A particular focus will be put on the role of Meat 4.0 enablers in meat processing, preservation and analyses of quality, safety and authenticity. Our literature review shows that Industry 4.0 has significant potential to improve the way meat is processed, preserved, and analysed, reduce food waste and loss, develop safe meat products of high quality, and prevent meat fraud. Despite the current challenges, growing literature shows that the meat sector can be highly automated using smart technologies, such as robots and smart sensors based on spectroscopy and imaging technology.